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Mike CoppingerESPN
Yordenis Ugas hoped to unify 147-pound titles with Errol Spence Jr. in his next fight, but he’s getting another tough challenge instead.
Ugas, who’s coming off a victory over Manny Pacquiao, and Eimantas Stanionis agreed to a deal Wednesday to avoid a scheduled purse bid the following day in which the rights to the fight would be auctioned off.
The welterweight title bout, which will be promoted by PBC, is slated for springtime in the United States, a source told ESPN. The source said there’s no set date or location yet.
The matchup is part of the WBA’s four-man box-off at 147 pounds. Radzhab Butaev stopped Jamal James in the other half of the equation in October. Butaev is lined up to face the winner of Ugas-Stanionis.
WBA president Gilberto Mendoza ordered the bout despite Ugas’ appeal to instead compete with Spence, the unified champion, in the spring. Ugas, ESPN’s No. 3 welterweight, retained his title with a unanimous-decision victory over Pacquiao in August. The future Hall of Famer announced his retirement afterward.
The 35-year-old’s only loss since 2014 is a controversial decision setback to Shawn Porter in 2019.
“Tomorrow the WBA is going to make a decision on my team’s last attempt to lead me to the best fights possible [Spence] and one of the biggest fight[s] that PBC can do [at] 147,” Ugas, a native of Cuba, tweeted Tuesday.
Now, Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) will prepare for Stanionis (13-0, 9 KOs), a strong, pressure fighter from Lithuania. And for a second straight fight, Ugas will face a boxer led by Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.
The 27-year-old, who is promoted by Richard Schaefer’s new company, Probellum, is coming off a four-round no-decision against Luis Collazo in August. That bout was cut short after Stanionis’ opponent suffered a cut from a clash of heads.
Before that, Stanionis, ESPN’s No. 7 welterweight, outpointed Thomas Dulorme in April.